Maine Inn is Now Offering a Charming Night in the Crypt

Courtesy of Inn at Agora

The owner of a church-turned-inn in Maine opens a priest’s former resting place up to visitors.

Spencer Peterson

July 06, 2015

The rectory of St. Patrick’s Church in Lewiston, Maine started its second act in September of 2014, when new owner Andrew Knight reopened it as a boutique hotel called the Inn at Agora. Now the crypt is taking reservations, too.

The body of Thomas Wallace, the church’s builder and original priest, spent over a century in the crypt before being moved to a cemetery in Bangor when St. Patrick’s closed in 2009. Though Knight thinks Wallace would approve of putting his former resting place to good use, he gives a firm “hell no” when asked if he would stay there himself.

Even for thrillseekers there are limits. With no bathroom, the crypt currently outfitted as a very small private theater with a DVD library stocked with horror classics, viewable on an LCD television not quite in keeping with the antique furnishings.

Though there is custom-built pine coffin that “sleeps two,” the crypt isn’t a proper hotel room; you have to rent one in the rectory to gain access to the package. You also have to be out by 2 AM. “We give you the key to the crypt,” says innkeeper Jan Barett. “What you do in there is your business.”